Voter turnout for November primary election

Voter turnout is always a major concern for political candidates. And it is no different for Shreveport mayoral and council candidates this year.

The primary is on Tuesday, Nov 6.

The run-off election is on Saturday, Dec. 8. Both days can be problematic for candidates and their supporters.

Weather is always a concern, and work days can be a challenge for some voters. Saturday elections can be impacted by college football games and hunting seasons.

But the big “if” this year is the lack of big names on the ballot. There is no presidential election and no U.S. Senate race.

The ballot will have six constitutional amendments and two propositions. There is also a special election for Louisiana Secretary of State and the U.S. Representative two-year term.

The number of Caddo registered voters has been up and down since 2008. The largest number of voters was in the 2012 election (169,859). This number fell by over 1,000 for the 2016 election.

As of Sept. 16, the registered voters were 161,156, which is 8,703 less than the 2012 high. Caddo Registrar of Voters Ernie Roberson does not predict any significant uptick in the number of registered voters. He says Caddo Parish continues to lose voters by death and relocation.

Voter turnout for Caddo elections has been falling since the 2008 presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain. In that election, the turnout was 66.71 percent. Total votes cast were 109,529.

The 2012 presidential election was between incumbent Obama and Mitt Romney. The voter turnout was 66.30 percent. Total votes cast were 112,624.

The 2016 Trump versus Clinton presidential election had a turnout of 63.36 percent. Total votes cast were 106,911.

Roberson says that the turnout could be as low as 40 percent. He is certain that it will be much less than 60 percent.

John E. Settle Jr. has been a resident of Shreveport since January 1977. His articles appear regularly in local publications. He can be reached at 742-5513 or e-mail to: secretary@jesettle.com.